1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to a boat support. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus that is mounted in cantilevered relation to the trailing end of a vehicle and which supports a boat without the use of a trailer or wheels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Boat trailers are well known. However, boat trailers having no wheels are not.
Conventional boat trailers of the wheeled type are somewhat undesireable in that their tires become worn with use and require replacement. Moreover, since they are towed, it is difficult to back them into a garage or a dock. The pivotal connection formed by a hitch means that interconnects a trailer to a towing vehicle is notoriously difficult to control when the vehicle is in reverse gear.
Therefore, there exists a need for a boat support that can be attached to the trailing end of a vehicle, but which does not include a trailer structure of the type supported by wheels and which is free of the type of pivotal connection that is difficult to control.
Another drawback of conventional trailers is that they are quite long, typically taking up at least as much roadway space as the towing vehicle. This makes it difficult to find a parking space.
Accordingly, there is a need for a boat support of truncate extent so that less parking space is needed.
However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in this art how a trailerless, wheeless, and truncate support for a boat could be provided.
The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for a boat support of truncate extent that is adapted to be hitched to a conventional hitch means of a vehicle so that it can be towed in trailing relation to said vehicle but which is free of pivotal connections and which requires no wheels is now met by a new, useful, and nonobvious invention.
The novel boat support includes a hitch member at its leading end that is adapted to be secured to a trailer hitch of an automobile in cantilevered relation thereto. The leading end of a longitudinally disposed center bar is secured to the hitch member and extends therefrom in trailing relation thereto. The remaining structural parts of the novel boat trailer are supported by this center bar.
A pair of longitudinally disposed support beams are disposed on opposite sides of the center bar, in parallel relation thereto.
The support beams have free leading ends adapted to be positioned beneath a bumper of the towing vehicle to strengthen the cantilevered mounting of the novel boat support.
A pair of upstanding front vertical supports are provided, each of which is mounted on a different one of the support beams, toward respective leading ends thereof. The front vertical supports are disposed in transversely opposed relation relative to one another.
A pair of upstanding rear vertical supports are also provided, each of which is mounted on a different one of said support beams, at the respective trailing ends thereof. The rear vertical supports are disposed in transversely opposed relation to one another and in longitudinally spaced apart, trailing relation relative to the front vertical supports.
A first transversely mounted cross support is positioned near the leading end of the center bar and is supported at its mid-point by said center bar. The opposite ends of the first cross support engage the support beams near their respective leading ends.
A second transversely disposed cross support also extends in interconnecting relation to the forward vertical supports, said second cross support being spaced upwardly of said first cross support.
A third transversely mounted cross support is supported at its mid-point by the center bar at the trailing end of the center bar. The opposite ends of said third cross support engage the trailing ends of the support beams.
A fourth transversely mounted cross support also extends in interconnecting relation to the rearward vertical supports, said fourth cross support being spaced upwardly of said third cross support.
The front vertical supports have upper ends disposed at a common preselected elevation that is higher than a common preselected elevation of the upper ends of the rear vertical supports.
In a first embodiment, the difference in respective heights of said front and rear vertical supports is less than it is in a second embodiment.
A longitudinally disposed first runner spans a first front vertical support and a first rear vertical support in interconnecting relation thereto, said first front and rear vertical supports being in longitudinally spaced apart relation to one another on a common side of said center bar. The first runner is disposed at a preselected angular inclination that is predetermined by a height difference in the respective upper ends of the first front and rear vertical supports.
A longitudinally disposed second runner spans a second front vertical support and a second rear vertical support in interconnecting relation thereto, said second front and rear vertical supports being in longitudinally spaced apart relation to one another on a common side of said center bar. The second runner is disposed at a preselected angular inclination that is predetermined by a height difference in the respective upper ends of the second front and rear vertical supports. The angular inclination of the First runner is the same as that of the second runner.
It is an important object of this invention to provide a wheeless boat support for a vehicle to supplant the need for a conventional trailer with wheels that is pivotally connected to the vehicle by a hitch means, thereby eliminating the problems associated with wheels and further eliminating the problem associated with backing such trailers into a space.
Another object is to provide a truncate boat support so that less space is required to park a land vehicle that is transporting a boat.
Another object is to fulfill these objects with a durable and reliable structure that is economical to manufacture and which is therefore affordable by consumers.